For better or worse, much of the level design was also altered from the Xbox Splinter Cell. Most of the time, the changes in level layout/character placement are beneficial to the player and give the game a more balanced feel. There are less unavoidable enemy encounters, as well as a decrease in excruciatingly difficult combat situations. But this very change is a double-edged sword. Though the game feels more thought out and play-tested, the game is also substantially easier. Gone are the genuinely difficult situations that require skill and precision. Instead, what is left are stripped-down and over-simplified situations that require little, if any skill. For example, one level has you crossing a minefield while avoiding a searchlight, as well as the prying eyes of several enemy soldiers. In the Xbox game, this was one of the more difficult areas to pass. Shooting a guard or the searchlight would cause mayhem to ensue as each soldier took their best shots at making you a fading memory, so being stealthy was essential. In the PS2 game, shooting every guard before even attempting to cross the minefield is a-ok. On top of that, there are not only less mines, but the structures in the field (crates, oil drums, etc) lend themselves to a much easier crossing. Just about every challenging scene in the game has been altered in a similar way. It's too bad a good balance of difficulty couldn't be found when redesigning the levels.

Not all of the changes made in the game are so readily apparent, though. Take the user interface as an example. Subtle refinements in item and weapon usage go a long way in making the game play out more naturally and intuitively. In fact, the new interface is so much more instinctive that before going back and playing the Xbox Splinter Cell, the new changes were almost unnoticeable. Also, the newly added cinemas add more to the game than just a little extra visual flash. They actually add a lot of missing detail to the story and also make Sam Fisher a real person. Before, Sam was always cool. He was this super-secret government ninja. But that's it. In the PS2 game, his relationship with his daughter is fleshed out and not only is Sam cool, but now we care about him. He finally has more dimensions than the very page you're reading this review on. Amen to that.

Because we PS2 owners were left out in the cold during the last holiday season, we not only received numerous minor additions, but also an entire new level that takes place in a nuclear power plant. This new level was cleverly incorporated into the storyline and is by no means a cheap add-on. It is a full length level that actually provides one of the tougher challenges in the game. Additionally, we get to see Sam in his brand-spanking new white snow outfit, complete with ninja-like ski mask. Besides the additional level, Sam also has a set of zooming binoculars that can be used at any point in the game and come in handy on more than a few occasions.

Even with all improvements made to the game's interface and design, many of the game's flaws were left as is. Like why can't I skip cutscenes?

While seemingly a trivial issue, watching and listening to the same scene over and over again after multiple deaths will most certainly drive one up, and over a wall. Also, why can't Sam open a door while carrying a body? Opening a door, knocking someone down the hall unconscious, carrying the body back down the hall, dropping the body, opening the door, picking the body back up, and then going through the door takes more time than one would think, and is not a procedure that ever gets comfortably familiar. Additionally, while the game's AI is more-or-less competent ninety percent of the time, there are a few instances where the enemy will appear to be no smarter than a four year old child lost in a sandlot. Not a particularly big problem given that these situations are relatively rare, but worth noting.